Voice of Reason wrote:I used to stay in Thailand long term on tourist VIAS, but it seems now they're cracking down. No longer can you just live there by hopping the border and renewing your tourist VISA:

What are some others ways to legally stay in Thailand on the long term?

I want to go back to Thailand again, but I have a strong of tourist VISAS.

Any advice? Or do you think I have to look elsewhere now?

SERIOUS post here.

FOREIGNERS WHO do regular visa runs in order to extend their stay in Thailand have less than a month before a crackdown by the authorities to enforce immigration laws more strictly.

From August 13, people will not be able to re-enter the country, regardless of their choice of transport.

The Immigration Bureau has already instructed officials to deny entry to foreigners doing visa runs as a measure to stop the exploitation of tourist visas and visa exemptions to live or work here.

AmericanInBangkok, who used to post on HA, mentioned the Thai educational visa. Sign up with a language school, to learn Thai, keeps you there for a year. Renew back-to-back is ok.

They also have a business visa. No need to attend classes! You have to pay something, like a grand or so, but what the hell. I think it also requires getting a letter of reference from a Thai business. I BELIEVE that this visa also allows you to open a bank account.

Voice of Reason wrote:I used to stay in Thailand long term on tourist VIAS, but it seems now they're cracking down. No longer can you just live there by hopping the border and renewing your tourist VISA:

Jester wrote:They also have a business visa. No need to attend classes! You have to pay something, like a grand or so, but what the hell. I think it also requires getting a letter of reference from a Thai business. I BELIEVE that this visa also allows you to open a bank account.

I don't really understand this. Do you have to have a business? Is it a business VISA, or a "business" VISA?

Voice of Reason wrote:I used to stay in Thailand long term on tourist VIAS, but it seems now they're cracking down. No longer can you just live there by hopping the border and renewing your tourist VISA:

I think it will be permanent as all border points into Thailand are now connected online and it is easy to check at the border, who was entering how many times with what kind of visa or visa exemption in the past.

The rule always said, tourist means up to 180 days per year, and all what goes over is not a tourist anymore. Many countries have similar rules.

In the past Thai authorities did not care much about how many times the foreigner was passing the border and how many days totally per year he spent in Thailand - but it seems from now on they care.

Yohan wrote:I think it will be permanent as all border points into Thailand are now connected online and it is easy to check at the border, who was entering how many times with what kind of visa or visa exemption in the past.

The rule always said, tourist means up to 180 days per year, and all what goes over is not a tourist anymore. Many countries have similar rules.

In the past Thai authorities did not care much about how many times the foreigner was passing the border and how many days totally per year he spent in Thailand - but it seems from now on they care.

So as long as you don't stay for more than 180 days (i.e. 6 months) a year, then you're fine?

So you can go to Thailand for six months, go elsewhere for six months, and back to Thailand again?

PHUKET: -- Pol Col Sanchai Chokkayaikij, Superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Office, this afternoon confirmed to The Phuket News that the multiple â€œOut-Inâ€ visa hop is now officially dead.

â€œEvery immigration post on land borders and at airports now has the same rules.

â€œIf they are genuine tourists that's fine. But if we believe they are not tourists, they will not be readmitted into Thailand.

â€œWe can see [from their passport stamps] if a foreigner has stayed in Thailand too long [on tourist visas]. We will not let them in.â€

The impending clampdown has been a while coming, and has been applied in stages, with some Immigration posts ahead of others.

On May 13, the then-national head of Immigration, Lt Gen Pharnu Kerdlarpphon explained to The Phuket News, â€œLots of nationalities come to Thailand on tourist visas but they come to work. I really want them to do the right thing, not to try to dodge around the law and evade taxes.â€

Immigration has also begun to apply blacklisting to people who overstay their permits to stay in Thailand.

The guidelines are still not out in written form in Thai, and of course there is nothing in English yet available.

However everybody who stays in Thailand more than 180 days a year (maybe counted from business year 1st May to 30th April) has to be registered with a tax number and has to report about his/her income.
This is the law in many countries (also USA I guess) and also in Thailand.

Tourists in general do not have a tax-registration, but there are 'tourists' who stay in Thailand since many years, and if the visa exemption stamp or the tourist visa is near to expire they are crossing the border and come back in a few minutes with new extensions to stay. -

There are plenty of Japanese businessmen for example who visit Thailand many times during a year for golf or visiting friends in Thai/Japanese companies etc. but they stay only for a few days. They never report any problems with immigration.

It cannot be only about how many times a foreigner is crossing a border, it is about illegal working as a tourist and about not paying any tax. - My family is also visiting Thailand several times a year, (maybe up to 90 days or so totally during a year) sometimes by airplane, sometimes by land route from Malaysia, we do this since over 30 years and we never had any problem.

If you stay longer in future for sure, you have to prove what you are doing in Thailand - retirement visa, spouse visa are easy for a qualified applicant. However these visa do not include any working permit.

Thailand was never friendly towards foreigners who are working in Thailand. Even managing directors of fairly large international companies are reporting visa/working permit hassles despite they pay a lot of corporate and personal income tax.

Keep in mind, that except some certain kind of condominium-units, foreigners cannot buy any land in Thailand.

All in all, Thailand is quite open to tourists for short stay, up to 30 days, with visa up to 60 days - but it is not so friendly for long stay, especially if you are still a young foreigner and without sufficient money in your banking account.

Thailand is also politically very unstable and I can only advice foreigners to keep most of their money out of Thailand. Just keep in a Thai bank a small amount for paying utilities, rent, and unexpected medical bills etc.

Enjoy your vacation but otherwise do not expect much from Thailand - it is not an immigrant friendly country.

Of course it is only about the money, a Thai Elite card costs about USD 16000,- - it includes a resident permit with multi entry for 5 years. - It's really only about how much money you want to pay for your stay in Thailand. Just to mention there is no problem about Thai visa for the really rich foreigners. The usual double standard.

PHUKET: -- Pol Col Sanchai Chokkayaikij, Superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Office, this afternoon confirmed to The Phuket News that the multiple â€œOut-Inâ€ visa hop is now officially dead.

â€œEvery immigration post on land borders and at airports now has the same rules.

â€œIf they are genuine tourists that's fine. But if we believe they are not tourists, they will not be readmitted into Thailand.

â€œWe can see [from their passport stamps] if a foreigner has stayed in Thailand too long [on tourist visas]. We will not let them in.â€

The impending clampdown has been a while coming, and has been applied in stages, with some Immigration posts ahead of others.

On May 13, the then-national head of Immigration, Lt Gen Pharnu Kerdlarpphon explained to The Phuket News, â€œLots of nationalities come to Thailand on tourist visas but they come to work. I really want them to do the right thing, not to try to dodge around the law and evade taxes.â€

Immigration has also begun to apply blacklisting to people who overstay their permits to stay in Thailand.

The guidelines are still not out in written form in Thai, and of course there is nothing in English yet available.

However everybody who stays in Thailand more than 180 days a year (maybe counted from business year 1st May to 30th April) has to be registered with a tax number and has to report about his/her income.This is the law in many countries (also USA I guess) and also in Thailand.

Tourists in general do not have a tax-registration, but there are 'tourists' who stay in Thailand since many years, and if the visa exemption stamp or the tourist visa is near to expire they are crossing the border and come back in a few minutes with new extensions to stay. -

There are plenty of Japanese businessmen for example who visit Thailand many times during a year for golf or visiting friends in Thai/Japanese companies etc. but they stay only for a few days. They never report any problems with immigration.

It cannot be only about how many times a foreigner is crossing a border, it is about illegal working as a tourist and about not paying any tax. - My family is also visiting Thailand several times a year, (maybe up to 90 days or so totally during a year) sometimes by airplane, sometimes by land route from Malaysia, we do this since over 30 years and we never had any problem.

If you stay longer in future for sure, you have to prove what you are doing in Thailand - retirement visa, spouse visa are easy for a qualified applicant. However these visa do not include any working permit.

Thailand was never friendly towards foreigners who are working in Thailand. Even managing directors of fairly large international companies are reporting visa/working permit hassles despite they pay a lot of corporate and personal income tax.

Keep in mind, that except some certain kind of condominium-units, foreigners cannot buy any land in Thailand.

All in all, Thailand is quite open to tourists for short stay, up to 30 days, with visa up to 60 days - but it is not so friendly for long stay, especially if you are still a young foreigner and without sufficient money in your banking account.

Thailand is also politically very unstable and I can only advice foreigners to keep most of their money out of Thailand. Just keep in a Thai bank a small amount for paying utilities, rent, and unexpected medical bills etc.

Enjoy your vacation but otherwise do not expect much from Thailand - it is not an immigrant friendly country.

Of course it is only about the money, a Thai Elite card costs about USD 16000,- - it includes a resident permit with multi entry for 5 years. - It's really only about how much money you want to pay for your stay in Thailand. Just to mention there is no problem about Thai visa for the really rich foreigners. The usual double standard.

So basically they want you to just go there a short time, blow your money, and then piss off back to your own country.

If you want to stay there long term because living expenses are cheap and you like the country, then you're not welcome.